Monaco (モナコ, Monako) is a supporting character in the series Hetalia. She is the personification of Monaco.
Appearance
In her initial design, Monaco was depicted with brown hair and brown eyes. In her finalized design, her coloring was changed to blonde hair and dark blue eyes to match France. Himaruya has been coloring France's hair a darker blonde/light brown for a while now, but it is unclear whether Monaco's hair has also changed. Part of her hair is tied into a long side braid with a large hair bow, while her bangs are held back on the right side by bobby pins. She wears glasses and is described as dressing "elegantly". This can be seen in her first profile where she wears a long pink double-breasted coat with a sailor collar attached, over a white blouse with a red neckbow, a pair of white trousers, and tall brown boots. Monaco has a small body, though she is not the shortest character. In a blog post, Himaruya implied that she looks grade school aged.
In other sketches, she is depicted wearing the blouse with a skirt. Her bow was originally colored black, but was changed to red, along with her braid becoming longer and sleeker in appearance in her finalized design. In the 2010 Christmas bloodbath, she tells to Sealand that she has a mole on her chest.
It is mentioned in her official profile that the reason she grew her hair out was because she was thinking about becoming like a Grand Duchess.
Personality And Interests
In her official profile she is described as a smart girl who gives off a proud impression. She speaks like an old lady and her great intelligence has protected her country for ages. A young honor student fond of ballet, she is surprisingly social despite her serious appearance. She has a very anxious character; she constantly worries about world affairs and the economy. Due to her distress about what other countries are doing, she is regarded as the most agitated country in the world.
Known for her beautifully structured casino (which, ironically, she herself did not build), she focuses most of her energy onto tourism, house interior designing, and cosmetics. She owns a Japanese-styled garden.
She appears to be good at poker, having easily beaten Seborga during the 2011 Christmas event. She's also comfortable when saying about the people who ended up penniless in her house, unsurprisingly because of gambling.
When Taiwan expressed unease due to the Western girls' cleavage, Monaco tells her that she shouldn't worry about such things. She seems to be reliable, as she made comments that calmed down the partying caused by the sudden great gathering of people which caused the event to halt, and Germany thanked her for them. She continued to offer her assistance if it was needed, as she had no intention of leaving the event until it was all over. When it was announced how many people had shown up, she said it couldn't be helped as everyone was on vacation and had a lot of free time. When Cyprus mentioned the special atmosphere that Christmas had, she said that it would be the best if they had parents and lovers with such an atmosphere.
Relationships
France
- Main article: France
Monaco is classified as a younger sister type to France, and she relies on him for diplomatic, military, and various other affairs, so if France ever asks her for a favor she tends to comply. However, she really wants him to stop patting her on the head because it is embarrassing.
In the published version of the America and England strip, she is shown alongside France when he mocks England for not having any friends.
Seborga
Main article: Seborga
Seborga and Monaco are first shown together in a cutaway strip during the 2011 Christmas Event. During the event, Seborga invited Monaco to dinner, which she agreed to, stating it would be fun to eat with him. He then excitedly suggested that after dinner, they enjoy the night scenery and go on a drive, and offers Sunday to be the day for the date. Monaco agrees to all of it, and Seborga is very excited about it. Then, Monaco laughed happily and added the condition that he beat her at poker first, remind him that she is very skilled at it. Seborga seemed used to this behavior, though. Italy then reveals that Seborga lost terribly but that Monaco went out with him regardless, indicating that she did have some feelings for him.
Seychelles
Main article: Seychelles
During the 2011 Halloween event, Monaco and Seychelles were both in the French costume group. Monaco refers to Seychelles as "Seychelles-kun" in the original Japanese to indicate a friendly relationship or Monaco is a kind of senior to the Seychelles.
Vietnam
Main article: Vietnam
In Halloween 2013, Monaco stood with Taiwan and Vietnam and they discussed their costumes. Vietnam asked her would she want to wore like Taiwan and she, Monaco gave an answer that she was just an onlooker, Vietnam asked her: "Are you an old man?"
Spain
Main article: Spain
Monaco was originally under Spain's protection, however he meddled in her affairs quite often.
Appearances
Manga
Monaco first appeared within Himaruya's blog and a profile of her was included in a special booklet released with the limited edition volume 3 of the published manga. Since then, she has appeared in a redrawn strip alongside France. Monaco made a cameo in the Christmas 2010 event and later returns in the Christmas 2011 event.
Anime
Monaco makes her anime debut in the Hetalia: The Beautiful World in the episode Liberté, égalité, fraternité and..., voiced by Yōko Hikasa. In the adaptation of the fifth strip of Hetalia à la Carte 2 from Hetalia: Axis Powers Volume 6, she is seen with France discussing the French cuisine and escargot, and she finds it ingenious that someone once saw a snail, and decided to cook it.
Trivia
- Prior to her design and appearance, Himaruya had dedicated a blog entry to Monaco's history and the country's relations with France and the rest of Europe.
- In the original America and England story, France was depicted beside an unidentified man (or nation). While the published version replaced the man with Monaco, the anime adapted the original webcomic strip featuring the unnamed man.
- Monaco has a small body, in one frame it is even shown that she has a smaller body than Taiwan. Additionally, a blog post reveals that she is even shorter than Liechtenstein. However, there has been a big change in her appearance when the Hetalia⭐︎Collezione 2021 issue said that her height has increased significantly compared to what was known before.
- Her birthday corresponds with the date that Monaco first gained its independence.
Notes
- ↑ In the sourced blog post, a fan asks how Germany gets along with "little girls" such as Liechtenstein, Monaco, and Wy, to which Himaruya responds with a drawing of Germany and Monaco, and stating that Germany probably acts like a dad to all of the characters who are grade school student aged. Monaco has also gone on a date with Seborga, who is directly stated by Himaruya to be a teenager. Finally, Monaco is one of the smallest countries in the world and all of the other small, rich countries are portrayed as teenagers (Hong Kong, Seychelles, Liechtenstein, etc).
- ↑ She has gone on a date with Seborga (even though saying he needed to win against her in poker, he lost and she still went, indicating she did want to go out with him).
- ↑ In the bio where this is listed, it is referred to as "Independence Day" rather than birthday. This date is not the country's national day, and instead is the date of the starting of the Grimaldi dynasty 1297. Click here for more information.
- ↑ The phrase "sworn sibling/brother" refers to people who are either siblings by birth or who have sworn loyalty to each other. The phrase Himaruya used, "義兄", can also translate as "adopted older brother".
- ↑ Formula 1. The Monaco Grand Prix is the most important and well known Formula 1 race, and is in fact considered to be one of the most important and prestigious car races in the world. Many F1 drivers also live in Monaco. Click here and here for more information.
- ↑ The national flower of Monaco. Click here for more information.